Seine peaks in Paris, starts slow descent
PARIS — The Seine River peaked early Saturday around Paris, hitting its highest level in nearly 35 years — almost 15 feet above average — then began a slow descent. That drew a collective sigh of relief, but authorities cautioned it could take up to 10 days for the river to return to normal.
It will take at least four days before tourists in the French capital get a chance to view art at the worldclass Louvre Museum, where workers have been scrambling to move 250,000 artworks from basement storage areas to rooms upstairs to keep them safe from flooding.
The Louvre, home to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” said it won’t reopen until Wednesday, while the Orsay museum, known for its impressionist art, was closed at least through the weekend. Other Paris landmarks shut down due to flooding include the national library and the Grand Palais, Paris’ opulent exhibition center.
Nearly a week of heavy rain has led to serious flooding across parts of France, Germany, Romania and Belgium.
The death toll from flooding in France rose to four, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Saturday, bringing the flooding death toll across Europe to 18.
In Germany, where 11 people died from flooding, another weather catastrophe struck when a lightning storm hit a rock festival west of Frankfurt late Friday, sending more than 70 people to the hospital. The Rock am Ring festival was suspended Saturday.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said water levels on the Seine in the city were dropping at less than 1 centimeter per hour and cautioned vigilance.
France’s meteorological service said Saturday that high flood alerts remained in effect in 14 regions, mostly in central and western France.